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For full features; Go to Trying to install a fan inside of the driver's seat... AC for the back anyone?
Might sound crazy but I know some fancy cars have em, so why not do it
yourself? I figure if I can get a small fan that goes to a 12V adapter, cut
out the middle of the seat, install a rubber grill, im good?
Is this stupid? Are there custom-made seats I could install that do the
same thing? Thanks for your help.
Enigmatic42
Sounds stupid, dont cut the seat. I know there are certain kits for heated
seats you gotta skin the whole thing and install heating pads into the seat
and cover it all back up then run wires and install the switch. Certain
cars do have AC seats (we have an expedition with them) but cutting out the
seat is just dumb
newyorker
I don't think it would feel right either, unless you designed it right and
used the right material, you would have one small cold spot in the middle
of your back, and the rest of you will still be sweating like a pig. It
would take some good engineering skills to get the air flow right, you
would just want a little flow out of the whole seat back, not a lot in one
place. I also don't think a fan is the way to go, because your back against
the seat would block the air flow. I think you would want something more
like a little AC coil inside the seat.
dvdrose18
well heres my logic. heated seats need alot more work than cutting out a
square in the middle and installing a fan, in my inexperienced opinion,
since I could have exposed wires(dont really care) running out the back,
and don't really care if the air is not circuited but just blown straight
at my back. Do you think this is viable? I'm just unsure what the seat is
made up, whether its foamy and easy to cut into or is just fluff and not
gonna mold very well.
Enigmatic42
If i mounted the fan to the back of the seat instead, and covered the
entire back seat to seal up the output of the fan's air, then pretty much
stuffed a tube here and there in my seat to allow air to pass through
certain points, does that make more sense?
Enigmatic42
NO NO NO!!! So what if you cut a hole in the middle of the seat, then that
part of your back will be cool and youll still be hot everywhere else.
Heated seats in most cases are just a pad, not a fan.
P.S. POST 5000!!!!
newyorker
NO NO NO!!! What do you drive?? You sound like a ricer or a redneck really.
If you want cooled seats, buy a car with them equipped, dont hack your
seats for no reason. Its also a safety issue.
newyorker
im a high school senior about to go to engineering college, so this stuff
is what i do in my spare time for fun. i drive a really shitty car and i
dont have any money, so i'm bored and want a project to do, I'm white, but
i dont pretend to be asian, if thats what ricer is. if you'd rather insult
me then please dont post, i'm only interested in people either trying to
help me with the way it works or telling me that it's not worth it. What
safety concerns would there be, I figured it's a plastic fan that doesnt go
high speeds, with a grill on it, (i've stuck my finger in them many times)
plus as I stated, I could run tubes throughout the seat to distribute the
air flow.
Enigmatic42
http://www.improvementscatalog.com/home/improvements/792912361-air-circulat
ing-seat-cushion.html
That would be much more effective, it would look cleaner, and it can be
taken out. Look for some reviews first though, because you never know
whether it works or not.
You couldn't run tubes through your seat because the fan isn't strong
enough, and if you put in too many holes, it might weaken your seat. If you
want to put a fan in the back, you would have to put in grooves, so that
the air can go to more spots, and flow out.
Also, just a thought, but since your back is covering the fan and no air
can escape, wouldn't you just feel a warm wind?
Another point, why not use a couple of fans spread out?
chris_knows
I think the fan would be adequate to run tubes, I mean I'd be using a 12v
computer fan, if I ran maybe 4 1" diameter tubes to each corner or grooves
as you suggested. I'm sorta using the other AC seats for ideas, i mean they
pretty much just blow air in a well distributed pad throughout the seat at
many points. all im doing is reducing the number of points. I could use
multiple fans, but the computer fan im considering is fairly big so I dont
see a need. my back wouldn't cover the air completely, there would be spots
where it could escape so it could circulate the air effectively
Enigmatic42
The safety issue is that in an accident, seats deform to make the crash
more safe and to keep you in a certain position..you said you have an old
car so this might not be the case but I wouldnt be surprised if you get
rearended and your insurance company (given that you are insured) denies
your claim because you tapered with safety equiptment.
By the way I made it very clear on how bad this idea was in my first
response, so let me say again. Its a dumb idea, go with the pads that
chris_knows posted, or if you just want to fiddle around with your car,
pick up a Haynes Manual (given they make one for your car) and start
flipping through and seeing what you can do. Believe me, im sure you have a
few issues with your car that you might not know about, and they are more
worthwhile to spend time on than hacking your interior to bits.
newyorker
the thing is, even if i bought a manual for 50 bucks, i feel like i
wouldn't know what to do with it. I want to know my way around a car and
learn how to fix it etc. but im not really sure where to start. If you have
any suggestions that are low-cost on small improvements i can make or fixes
i would greatly appreciate that. (I was considering power windows but they
cost around 250 i think...)
On the seat safety note, its a 96 oldsmobile, not sure if the seats crumple
or not but i mean, if i made holes, they would be like pencil size ones,
maybe 5 or 10 of them. (if i didnt insert the fan itself into the seat) I
dunno, what would you guys do in my situation? I dont really care about the
AC seats themselves.
also the haynes manual i found on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/GM-Car-1982-1996-Haynes-Manuals/dp/1563922096
has the worst reviews ive seen in my life.
Enigmatic42
I think the idea has merits for something to do for a bit of fun.
Don't let all these people talk you out of it.
Have a think about it. Do you want air blasted directly onto your back, or
maybe blown across your back? The advantage with this is that you will
maintain air flow, not just a high pressure air pocket in the small of your
back.
I'd think about how you can get air blown onto your back, but also where
the air goes after it's passed over your back. You don't want the air to
have nowhere to go after the fan stage.
windsonian
That is kind of what i was getting at. A fan only has a cooling effect
because it speeds evaporation of moisture off of your skin. In order for
that to happen, the air really needs to flow over your skin. That is why
the one in the link that chris_knows posted the air flows, for the most
part, along the mesh, not through it at your back. If you want to design
something like that, you would want basically a pocket behind your back for
the air to flow through. See the rough sketch attached
dvdrose18
Yeah, you've got the idea.
Rather than sitting on a cushion of air (which would be altered by the
places you're sitting), how about lateral holes in the seat back.
The way you've shown it, the air would probably just flow out of the seat
AROUND the body, not under it, because it'll take the path of least
resistance, which is not where your body weight is.
I was thinking something like 2 or 3 holes through the seat back - left to
right. Make the outlet slightly smaller than the inlet, and then make some
holes in the back of the seat (the side your back rests on) that meet up
with the cross ducts. That way, even if you completely cover the holes in
the seat back, there will still be flow across the holes, eventhough there
can be no flow out of them.
windsonian
I like that idea, instead of having the fan blow from back to front(or back
of me) it goes sideways, interesting. What I'm curious about is how to make
this similar to say, that mesh of holes in the commercial product. I mean
how can I design this so that when I cover up the holes, the air just
doesn't ignore those holes and go for the ones that have the least
resistance where I'm not. Someone suggested earlier that I make grooves
which I like the idea of as it more varies the pressure and allows for more
possibilities of gaps.
So I suppose the worst way so far is to blow it directly onto my back in a
large square. Next worse is to make a few holes and use those. Next worse
is to use grooves alongside my back, and best would be to use a mesh such
as the product. So unless people have a better method, how can I create a
mesh to perform this, or should I try making tons of small (needle-like, or
air-hockey-like) holes?
Enigmatic42
The problem is the air isn't going to be blowing at your back, unless it is
going to lift you off the seat, but you would need a ginormous fan to do
that. The air is going to be blowing along behind your back. Think of it
this way. Imagine sitting in a leather chair on a hot day. soon your back
will be sweating like crazy. This is because leather doesn't "breathe." Now
imagine sitting in a hammock, your back is cool because the air can flow
along under your back, cooling it off.
I almost imagine something designed like corrugated cardboard, so you have
something(the corrugations) to support your weight, while at the same time
the air can flow through the corrugations. Of course the corrugations would
have to be stronger than cardboard, but at the same time you would want it
soft and flexible. And instead of the top layer of paper over the
corrugations, you would want something breathable like cotton. You would
glue it to each of the corrugations.
Again, see attached
dvdrose18
maybe you should use a small compressor (like for an air horn) take rubber
cement and/or other materials to seal areas that you don't want air coming
out of, then make a shitload of little tiny holes in the seatback (and/or
bottom--wherever you want air to come out) and pressurize the
cushion...:2cents:
dodger65
that falls under this category:
the other problem is I don't think those compressors are designed to run
continually for the duration of your journey, or to operate at very high
pressure, I would be concerned it would burn up.
dvdrose18
hmm... i like the mesh covered corrugations idea.... just trying to think
of an easy manufacturing process
windsonian
Thats a great idea with the corrugations, kinda like the grooves idea but
makes more sense. I was thinking about foam and how easily it melts when
you stick a hot glue gun onto it, so what if i just used my hot glue gun to
dig out trenches in a foam sheet? or i could just cut it out which would
take longer but either way i figure a .5" thick piece of foam might do the
trick. now the question is, can i slide it under my current seat or should
i cover my seat with something else and put the foam under that(that way i
can also perhaps remove the air-portion during the winter)
Enigmatic42
w/e. i was just tossing an idea out there...
dodger65
I just ran across this and have considered something similar. I have given
it a considerable amount of thought and experimentation and have yet to
find something that has made a suitable impact. My next idea is to try and
either tap into the AC system and use the existing AC systems power to cool
the seat through the corrugated idea or even possibly dismantling this 12v
plug in travel cooler I have and see how exactly it cools things down and
modify and utilize that for cooler air supply, another idea would be to
actually circulate a cool liquid through a system of tubes cut into the
padding of a seat (the cloth is generally easy to remove and replace on
most cars) and cover it up with some very porous cushioning about 1/2 an "
thick then cover it up with the cover again... I love the idea of the cpu
fan by the way, I may use that for one of my other ideas, thanks.... by the
way, as long as your interested in projects like this do them no matter
what people have to say, the people that say these things usually aren't
able to do things themselves so they have no imagination.
"a dream is something you really want to do but never really pursue...."
Liftedramnhb
I like the part where he says he stuck his finger in the fan many times.
:clap:
Anyway, great idea. One I have thought of many times. The way I have been
thinking about doing it, is taking pvc pipe and attaching it under the dash
to one of the ac vents, running it along the floor board and up from behind
the seat.
Once you've reached the seat with the air, this is where design comes in to
fit your vehicle..
You could run them like this..
||========||
||----------||
||========||
||----------||
||========||
or
||==||==||
||---||---||
||---||---||
||==||==||
||---||---||
||==||==||
which ever, but have small holes drilled into the pvc to allow the cold air
to flow through... Just make sure the holes are facing OUT towards you.
One thing I would do, since you don't care... Is remove the cover of the
seat and just carve the foam away to place this in.. that way you're not
pressed against it totally.
With enough work, THIS IS POSSIBLE.
I'd like to know how it goes. :thumbs:
SillyLights
